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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Lifeguards in shock after rockfall hits Bronte Beach in Sydney
Aussie surfer Christian Gouverneur is on his way to buy a lottery ticket after dodging a dramatic rockfall at Sydney's legendary Bronte Beach. 'I got the day off work, so I went for a surf,' he told NewsWire on Friday. 'I was walking down the stairs, that's exactly where it collapsed. 'I was in the water and I heard the loudest 'bang' in my life. 'I thought Sydney got nuked or something. I turned around and looked and the whole cliff had collapsed.' Mr Gouverneur said he planned to get a haircut and 'grab a lottery ticket on the way'. 'It was fully in the spot where I was walking, so I would have died,' he said. 'People say, 'You dodged a bullet'. And that's what it was. I dodged a cliff falling on my head. 'If I had gotten out of bed 30 seconds earlier, it would be a whole different story. 'I would be under that rock pile. It's pretty surreal. It's the closest I've ever been to death, that's for sure.' The cliff fall happened at noon on the popular beach, which sits just south of world-famous Bondi Beach. In a statement, Waverley Council said a 'significant volume of rock' had fallen onto the beach. 'Waverley Council staff and Bronte lifeguards were on the scene shortly after the incident occurred, establishing an exclusion zone and notifying authorities,' a Waverley spokesman said. 'Assessments are ongoing but it appears sustained heavy rainfall may have contributed to the section of the cliff slipping, beneath which a stormwater drain – or culvert – ran. 'The culvert and a safety rail were badly damaged during the slip.' The council will now conduct a 'geotechnical assessment' to ensure the stability of the cliff area and determine whether the exclusion zone needs to be extended. 'People are asked to avoid the area,' the spokesman said. A lifeguard said Sydney's rainy weather might have prevented any injuries or even deaths. 'Busy day, people would be sunbaking, hanging out underneath the cliff,' he said in a video posted to the bondilifeguards Instagram page. 'We're fortunate it was rainy. No one around except lion supporters.' Bronte Beach is a beloved destination for Sydneysiders and tourists from around the world. Its legendary Christmas Day bash attracts thousands of revellers who congregate on the beach to take in the holiday, with some dressed in Santa Claus costumes.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Wallaga Beach sand patterns
A unique sand pattern, known as beach cusps, on the far south coast of New South Wales.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
One-third of Townsville residents unprepared for flood emergency, report finds
Research has revealed that about one-third of people were unprepared for north Queensland's most recent flooding disaster. The data from James Cook University's (JCU) Centre for Disaster Studies also found confusion over evacuation orders and flood mapping in Townsville. The survey included 233 people in Townsville and its surrounds impacted by the region's flood emergencies between late January and April this year. The region saw severe flooding devastate the community of Ingham, while Townsville recorded its wettest year on record just three months into 2025. About 30 per cent of respondents said they did not have a disaster kit — a minimum of three days of essential supplies. The JCU report recorded more than $1.2 billion in damage, two fatalities from flooding, and now 35 deaths from an outbreak of the soil-borne disease melioidosis. The findings showed a slight increase in preparedness from the last time the survey was conducted following Cyclone Kirrily in January 2024. JCU's Yetta Gurtner said disasters were becoming a "day-to-day risk" and results showed a long way to go in preparedness. "The whole idea is that people should be self-sufficient, and emergency services are there as a priority need for those who can't help themselves." The Ollera Creek bridge — a vital supply route connecting Townsville and Ingham — collapsed into floodwaters in February. Dr Gurtner said experience indicated people now needed a minimum of five to seven days' worth of supplies when road networks and power supplies were cut. Dr Gurtner said there was also uncertainty over evacuation zones and flood mapping in Townsville. "A lot of people didn't understand what the different colours meant, what that meant in terms of the evacuation messaging," she said. A Townsville City Council spokesperson said evacuation advice was issued using the coloured Ross River Evacuation Zones — related to flooding from the Ross River Dam — and that the zones had not changed since 2016. "Due to the intensity and duration of the rainfall, some suburbs across Townsville experienced flash flooding outside of these zones," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the Townsville local disaster management group issued updates using the nationally recognised Australian Warning System. Dr Gurtner said findings also indicated a significant portion of people were using Facebook as their primary source of information, secondary to the Bureau of Meteorology and local council disaster dashboards. "People using photos of the 2019 floods and saying it was from this event … often they over-exaggerated the extent of the impacts." Estimates indicate the damage bill from the February floods to be in the vicinity of $40 to $50 million for the Hinchinbrook Shire. Deputy Mayor and recovery chair Mary Brown said the council was conducting its own surveys on preparedness. "It's really important to reflect on how the event progressed, what we did well out of it," she said. "We're working through those results right now and trying to understand what we can learn from that and what we can do better leading into this season." Cr Brown said recovery works were progressing, but the shire was looking at a minimum of a two-year recovery period until it transitioned into its "new normal".
